


The Impossible Road Trip

by Cats_Dont_Float



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Carlos is Human, Carlos is a Good Boyfriend, Cecil Has A Third Eye, Cecil Palmer has Lyme Disease, Cecil has a pet tarantula, Fluff, M/M, Road Trips, Scientist Carlos (Welcome to Night Vale), Steve Carlsberg is Not a Jerk, carlos's family - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-04-25 21:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 17,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14387907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cats_Dont_Float/pseuds/Cats_Dont_Float
Summary: Carlos has finally worked up the courage to take Cecil to meet his parents. If anything, he's looking forward to a long road trip. But things never go as planned in Night Vale, and it seems like they might have some extra passengers along the way.ORCarlos, Cecil, Steve and Earl end up on a road trip together. Chaos ensues.





	1. Road Trip

Cecil jumped up from the couch excitedly, clap his hands and jumping around slightly.  
"Yay! I have wanted to meet your family for so long Carlos!" he cried, before rushing out of the room, "I have to pack, I have to pack!" Carlos could hear him murmuring as he raced away. The scientist laughed, and followed after him.  
******  
Two days later, the two were ready for their trip the next day. Bags were packed, and Cecil had gathered as much food as possible to pack into the car for the drive.

When Cecil wandered into the kitchen that afternoon, Carlos was on the phone, speaking enthusiastically to someone.  
"Sure! That's fine.... Yep... No Cecil won't mind at all," Carlos was shaking, "Alright, see you tomorrow, Earl,"  
"Earl?" Cecil asked, wondering why Carlos was speaking to Cecil's old friend.  
"Yeah, um, he heard we were going on a trip, and was wondering if he could have a lift for a day or two. That's okay, right?" Carlos asked.  
"oh sure!" answered Cecil, smiling now, "that'll be fun! Wheres Earl going?"  
"Some cooking thing," Carlos said with a shrug, "now, let's go enjoy our last day in Night Vale for a while,"

**** **  
"Cecil! Cecil!" cried a voice as Cecil and Carlos wandered around Mission Grove Park.  
"What do you want, Steve?" Cecil shouted over his shoulder without even looking behind him. There was the sound of someone jogging slightly, and then Steve was in front of them.  
"Oh, hi, I'm well Earl said you were giving him a lift on your road trip, and I was wondering if... I could come too?" Steve asked slowly. Cecil huffed angrily, but Carlos placed an arm on his shoulder and turned to Steve.  
"Sure!" he said, "Cecil, you and Steve have been getting closer recently, this could help you too bond!"  
"Fine," the radio host sulked. Carlos smiled.  
"Awesome!" Steve said, "I'll be at your house first thing tomorrow morning,"  
"I can't wait," Cecil drawled sarcastically.


	2. The Erikas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a reason why hardly anyone ever leaves Night Vale. It's almost impossible to actually get out of. Carlos is about to find this out the hard way.

Early the next morning, the group of four sleepily slid into the car. Carlos was starting off by driving, with Cecil in the passenger seat and Earl and Steve stuck in the back with half of the bags.  
"You did make sure to tell Station Management that you were taking the time off, right?" Carlos checked as he drove slowly down the street.  
"Yep," Cecil nodded, "Not sure how I survived that to be honest," Carlos shuddered at the thought, and pushed it out of his mind almost instantly. "And one of the interns is looking after Khoshekh and his kittens whilst I'm away," Cecil continued. Carlos said nothing, but couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor intern who would spend the next few weeks trying to avoid Cecil's cat's poisonous spikes.

They reached the road out of Night Vale, and Carlos heard Cecil let out a sad sigh as they past the sign that read THANK YOU FOR VISITING NIGHT VALE in faded purple letters. However, seconds later, they were passing the sign again, and then again, and again.  
"Okay, what is going on?" screamed Carlos as they drove down the same stretch of road for the sixth time. "How do you get out of this town?"  
"I wouldn't know, I've never tried," Cecil said, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs.  
"Neither," came Earl's quiet voice form the back.  
"I did once, a long time ago though," Steve added.  
"Great," Carlos huffed, before letting out a strange sobbing noise as they appeared back under the sign once again.  
"Hey, I know someone who might be able to help us!" Cecil exclaimed suddenly, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Carlos pulled over to the side of the road, fed up of driving out of Night Vale again and again, and looked at Cecil curiously.  
"Who?" the scientist asked cautiously, not sure if he should be scared to hear the answer.  
"Old Woman Josie!" Cecil cried, already dialling.

It took only a few minutes for Cecil to explain their problem. His eyes narrowed in confusion for a second, and then he put the phone down.  
"She said she would help, then she hung up," he explained slowly. Murmurs of confusion echoed around the car for a second. Then, there was a sudden explosion of pitch black light, and a tall, many eyed, winged creature appeared in front of the car.  
"Is that Erika?" Earl asked, leaning forward to get a better view. Carlos nodded slowly in shock. 

Cecil was already out for the car, and walking towards Erika, leaning slightly on his intricately patterned walking stick. The three left in the car watched as Cecil and the being that was definitely not an angel exchanged a few words. Cecil nodded once, and then made his way back to the car.  
"So?" Carlos asked as Cecil slid back into his seat.  
"Erika's going to carry us out," Cecil explained. "Apparently, we're stuck in some kind of loop created by the City Council to try and stop people from leaving. If Erika carries us out, the City Council can't acknowledge us because Erika is definitely not an angel, and therefor the lop shouldn't affect us,"  
"How exactly is Erika going to carry a car full of bags and four people?" Carlos asked fearfully.  
"Erika has friends," Earl cried, pointing out a window in horror. 

A whole swarm of the strange beings were now surrounding the car.   
"Three, two, one!" the beings called together, and on one, they all lifted the car into the air. Carlos let out a strange choking noise, Earl whimpered slightly, and Steve gasped, and then the car was moving through the air at an incredible speed. As quickly as it had started, it was over, and the car was back on the side of the road again.  
"There you go, Cecil!" called out one of the Erikas, "You're about a mile out of Night Vale now, the City Council can't stop you!" and then the Erikas had disappeared in another flash of blindingly dark light.

Carlos was the first to speak.  
"Wow," he breathed, "that was... weird,"  
"You can say that again!" Earl sighed dramatically, dropping his head against Cecil's headrest.  
"I have a strange feeling this isn't going to be any normal road trip," Carlos said, as he turned the key, and the car started up again.


	3. Coffee Breaks and Lunch Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group need coffee urgently, and it's time for Cecil to realise he's not exactly normal outside of Night Vale.

They had been driving for over two hours. The conversation had faded away to silence, broken here and there by pointless small talk. Carlos was tried. He hadn't slept much the night before, and the early start hadn't done him much good either.   
"Hey, Carlos, you're falling asleep on us, mate" Earl said, leaning over to poke Carlos' shoulder gently, "want me to drive for a few hours?"  
"No, really, it's fine, I'm fine" Carlos argued, but he interrupted himself with a long yawn, that contradicted his point entirely. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly, and pulled over to the side of the road.

Earl jumped out of the back of the car, and stepped around to move into the driver's seat.   
"I just need to stretch for a second," Cecil mumbled, getting out of the car, and pulling his walking stick with him. He began to stretch his legs one after the other, pain clearly shown on his face.  
"You alright, Cecil?" Earl called from where he was adjusting the seat.  
"Yep, just the... arthritis.. from the Lyme Disease," Cecil explained between stretches. Earl nodded in understanding.

A few minutes later Carlos was settled in the back, Cecil was back in the passenger's seat, and they were ready to go. As they moved back onto the road, Carlos had already fallen asleep.  
"Hey, Earl, how's Roger?" Cecil asked, "I haven't seen him for ages,"  
"Yeah, he's good. He's like most boys his age. He spends most of his time alone in his room, he doesn't talk much. Sometimes I can't even see him. Do you know how hard it is to not be able to see your own son, Cecil?" Earl exclaimed, his tone going form carefree to extremely stressed in seconds.  
"I can't say that I do, Earl," Cecil answered, "But, if you ever need a friend, just drop by. Carlos and I don't mind you coming over for dinner whenever you want. Bring Roger. I'll get Janice to come over,"  
"I appreciate that, I really do," Earl said with a smile.  
"I think Janice would like that too," came Steve's voice form the back of the car, "It might stop Abby from worrying about her as much as well,"  
"Why's Abby worried?" Cecil asked.  
"Janice spends too much time around Tamika Flynn apparently," Steve said with a life, "As if Janice is stupid enough to put herself in danger,"  
"Yeah, she's a clever kid," Cecil said fondly, "You're really lucky to have her, remember that Steve," Steve simply nodded.

The three feel silent, listening to the sound of the satnav yelling at them occasionally.  
"So, what are Carlos' family like?" Steve asked eventually.  
"How would I know Steve? I've never met them," Cecil answered, and Earl chuckled softly to himself.  
"Nervous about meeting them?" Earl questioned Cecil.  
"A bit, but Carlos assured me they'll be nice," Cecil said. The car became silent again.  
"I fancy coffee," Earl said eventually, "I'm pulling over at the next place I find,"  
"Good idea," Cecil mumbled.

As Earl pulled up outside a small gas station, him and Steve jumped out of the car, leaving Cecil to wake up Carlos.  
"What's happening?" mumbled Carlos as he woke up gradually.  
"We've stopped for coffee, want anything?" Cecil asked, leaning down to kiss Carlos softly on the forehead.  
"Coffee as well please," Carlos murmured, before his eyes fluttered shut once again. Cecil smiled to himself, and shut the car door gently, before wandering to find the others.

"What can I get you, sir?" the woman at the counter asked Cecil as he approached.  
"One black coffee and one coffee with a ridiculous amount of milk and sugar, please," Cecil asked. The woman nodded, and turned to fiddle with a coffee machine behind her.  
"here you go," she said eventually, placing two takeaway drink cups on the counter. She stood for a second then, staring at Cecil strangely.  
"Thanks," he sad slowly, pulling the money for it out his pocket. The woman took the money, never once taking her eyes off of him, even when she put the money into register.  
"Are your tattoos moving?" she asked suddenly. Cecil glanced down in alarm, breathing out a sigh of relief when he realised his swirling tattoos were only moving extremely slight,y so slowly it was barely noticeable.  
"Oh, no, it's just an optical illusion," he said. "Anyway, thanks for the coffee, I have a whole car of people waiting for me," and then he turned and walked as fast as he could (which really wasn't very fast at all) out of the shop.

When he reached the car, Carlos was awake in the back seat, Earl was already back behind the wheel, and Steve was wandering in circles arund the car.  
"Here you go," Cecil said, handing the sugary coffee to Carlos, who took it eagerly.  
"Thanks," he mumbled, taking a sip and smiling gratefully. "Sit in the back with me for a bit?" he asked hopefully, and something about his expression reminded Cecil of a tired child.  
"Sure," Cecil said with a soft laugh, "I'll have to move if my legs start hurting though," Carlos nodded, and moved a few bags to make more room for Cecil to stretch out.  
"You were in there ages, Cecil," Earl pointed out curiously, as Steve got into the car.  
"yeah, I keep forgetting tattoos don't normally move outside of Night Vale," Cecil said with a laugh, "Behave!" he hissed at the tattoos on his arm, which seemed to hear him, and went still.  
"Alright, then! back on the road!" Earl said, and the car pulled out of the parking lot.  
******  
A while later, Earl pointed out that it was almost midday, and they decided to stop for lunch. That was how they found themselves wandering through a shopping mall.  
"We must look strange," Earl said, not to anyone in particular, "a man who is for some reason wearing a lab coat outside of the lab, a man with an incredible amount of tattoos, which are still moving by the way, and then two ordinary looking guys, all out for lunch together"  
"I don't have that many tattoos!" Cecil protested, looking down at the black and dark purple swirls covering his arms.  
"And I am wearing this lab coat for science!" Carlos argued, "Also, it looks good"  
"I agree," Cecil said, reaching out to grab hold of Carlos's hand. earl rolled his eyes, but there was a fond smile on his face.  
"Come on you two, let's find somewhere to eat," he sighed.

They eventually found a place in a pizza restaurant. Earl was the first to notice the group of girls watching them from the other side of the room. After he pointed it out, the group took turns keeping an eye on them.  
"Do you think the're spies sent to follow us by the City Council?" Cecil asked fearfully.  
"Definitely not," Carlos answered.  
"What makes you so sure?" Cecil asked.  
"Well, they're not very good spies if they are, because they're heading straight for us," Carlos replied. Immediately,. the others all turned their heads to watch as a group of three young women approached them.  
"Hi," one of them said, stepping forward, and addressing her greeting towards Cecil, "I was wondering if I could give you my number?" She asked. Carlos watched as Cecil held back a laugh, and then turned to the woman.  
"Sorry, I'm engaged," he said, gesturing towards the engagement ring on his finger.  
"Oh... well, she's a lucky girl," the stranger retorted.  
"Actually," Carlos butted in, slightly annoyed, "he's engaged to me!"  
"Oh, right, well, congratulations!" she said, and then turned back to her friends. The women walked out of the restaurant, and Cecil collapsed into hysterical laughter.  
"What is so funny?" Earl asked.  
"That was the first time a girl's asked me out in a restaurant before. That was so weird!" Cecil wheezed in between laughs, and, soon, the whole group was laughing with him.

They headed back to the car later, happy and ready to continue driving for a few hours.  
"Right," Carlos said, "let's get driving and find somewhere to stay for the night!" the others murmured in agreement, and then they were off again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just kinda made this chapter up as I went along so I hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Hotel Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first night on the trip is here, and luckily there's a hotel nearby.

An hour and a half later, they were off of the main road, and pulling into the parking lot of a hotel.  
"Let's see if they've got any spare rooms," Carlos said with a yawn, "if they have we'll come back for the bags we need,"

They headed into the hotel, and found a woman sitting alone at a small desk.   
"Do you have a booking?" she asked, looking them up and down curiously.  
"No, we were wondering if you had any spare rooms," Carlos answered. The woman nodded, and tapped a few keys on her computer's keyboard.   
"All I've got is a family room. That'll have one double bed, and two single beds," the woman explained.  
"That's absolutely fine," Carlos said, reaching for his wallet and pulling out a credit card. The woman smiled, and handed over a room key.  
"Breakfast is included in the price of the room, it's from eight until half ten," she told them as they headed down a corridor.  
"Thanks!" Earl called over his shoulder.

"Okay," Carlos murmured as he unlocked the door, "let's get in, then we'll see what bags we need from the car." The door swung open, and the group wandered in. Immediately, Cecil sat down in a small chair, letting his walking stick fall to the ground.  
"Okay well you're not coming back to the car with us then," Earl said with a chuckle.  
"What? No, I can help!" Cecil protested, trying to stand back up.  
"Cecil, sit down, you need to rest," Carlos ordered him gently.  
"I've been sitting down all day though," Cecil whined, but he made no further attempts to stand back up.

"Right," Steve yawned, "we need our bags with a spare change of clothes, and the bag of snacks for tonight," Carlos nodded.  
"You'll be alright alone for a second, won't you, Cecil?" Earl asked. The radio host nodded tiredly.  
"Alright, well be back soon!" Carlos called, and then the door swung shut behind them.

Cecil sighed, and then set to work pulling of his shoes. Finally comfortable and away from any potential members of public, his tattoos began to move at their usual pace, swirling and curling constantly. He felt a slight pressure on his for head, and felt his third eye on his forehead flutter open cautiously. The eye flickered around, obviously trying to pick up on the news of Night Vale. Being so far a way from the town meant, however, that the eye could see nothing, and so was practically pointless.

He noticed a notification of his phone, and smiled as he saw that one of the interns had sent him a selfie with Khoshekh. He sent back a selfie of his one that he'd taken in the car earlier, with the whole group of four leaning into the photo. At that moment, the door swung open again, and the others bundled back into the room, laughing amongst themselves.

"Here!" Carlos card, throwing a purple rucksack, with the Night Vale Community Radio logo on the front, in Cecil's direction. Cecil managed to catch it, before setting it on the floor in front of him and struggling to his feet. He crossed the room in a few seconds, and kissed Carlos. The sudden action took Carlos by surprise, and made Earl snigger behind them.   
"Are you alright?" Carlos asked as Cecil backed away.  
"Yeah, just, excited to be here!" Cecil answered with a smile, before dropping backwards onto the double bed, and immediately regretting it as pain shot through his legs and back.

"You know what, it's still pretty early," Carlos said, glancing at the clock on the wall, "I'll see if there's anything good on TV," the others nodded in agreement, and settled themselves on their respective beds.

Eventually, Carlos found a cooking programme that looked quite good, and that he thought might interest Earl, and he sat back on the bed next to Cecil.  
" These are some weird recipes," Earl stated, leaning back against the wall and watching the TV curiously.   
"Yeah, food is a bit different outside of Night Vale," Carlos explained. Steve laughed at that, and then pulled out his phone to text Abby and Janice.

Cecil pulled a bag full of snacks closer to him, digging through it until he found some suitable food, and then tossing some of it in Steve and Earl's direction. 

A few hours later, they settled into bed. Earl was thoroughly confused by the cooking programme, and was wondering exactly what he would be learning to cook at the course he was heading to. Steve had facetimed Janice (to Cecil's delight), and Carlos had checked in with his scientists (everyone was fine, although Stan had almost blown up the whole place). With all of them happy, they turned off the lights, and slowly fell asleep. As he heard Cecil begin to snore softly next to him, Carlos smiled to himself.. This was starting to become a great trip.


	5. Tarantula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day has arrived, but there's a surprise guest in Carlos's car.

Carlos woke up in a dark room. A few rays of dim sum light were filtering in through the cracks in the curtains. In the small patches of light, he could just about make out the shape of Steve, still buried under the covers of the bed closest to the window. He realised suddenly the Earl was watching him, peering out from underneath the pillow he had thrown over his head.  
"Morning," Carlos whispered. Earl smiled, and then glanced up at the clock sleepily. Carlos followed his gaze. It was only eight in the morning, yet they should probably get going soon if they wanted to stay on schedule.

"Cecil," Carlos said quietly, gently taking hold of Cecil's shoulders and shaking him gently. Cecil was a heavy sleeper, and Carlos always struggled to wake him up. However, Cecil's eyes flew open pretty quickly, even the third one, and he blinked sleepily at Carlos in confusion.  
"What?" he mumbled "Time to wake up now," Carlos told him. Cecil nodded, and began to pull himself out the bed. Meanwhile, Earl had woken Steve up simply by pulling the pillows out from underneath his head."What are you doing?" Steve asked as he sat up.

"Waking you up," Earl said. "We've got a lot to do today!"

"You get in the shower first Earl," Carlos said. Earl nodded, and wandered towards the bathroom.

Carlos flicked on the TV, and found the news channel. Immediately, Cecil and Steve were intrigued by it.  
"is this what news is like outside of Night Vale?" Cecil asked.  
"Yeah, pretty much," Carlos answered.  
"wow," Cecil breathed out.  
******  
Half an hour later, they all arrived in the dining hall, fully showered and wearing fresh clothes. They grabbed food from serving tables and took a seat at a table near the window.

The dining hall was mostly empty, a few tired looking people dotted here and there. As they were eating, Carlos's phone began to ring, and, pulling it out of his pocket, he realised it was a facetime from Nilanjana, one his scientists.

"Hi!" cried Nilanjana as her face appeared on screen, waving happily.  
"Hi Nils, why are you awake this early?" Carlos jokes, turning the screen briefly to let Steve and Earl wave to her as well.  
"Just getting an early start," she answered.  
"Has Stan blown anything else up yet?" Cecil asked, leaning into the screen.  
"No, although I am worried about some of his inventions," Nilanjana replied.  
"I don't like the sound of that," Carlos said  
"Ah, it'll be fine," she reassured him. At that moment, they all hears a strange roaring behind her. "Stan, no!" she shouted, "sorry, Carlos, Stan's trying to build a three direction flamethrower, I have to go!" and then she hung up.  
"That sounds risky," Steve said, pointing out the obvious.  
"If my lab gets burned down I am not going to be happy," Carlos sighed. Cecil laughed.

A while later, they found themselves back in the parking lot, packing the bags into the car. Steve was just loading the last bag when he suddenly stopped dead, and let out a soft squeaking noise.  
" Are you okay? " Carlos asked.  
"Carlos, why is there a tarantula in your car?" Steve asked slowly.  
"What?" Earl screamed, darting behind Carlos. Meanwhile, Cecil had stepped around Steve and was leaning into the back of the car.  
"ah!" Cecil said, reaching into the car, and coming back out with a tarantula sitting on the back of his hand. "What a beauty," he murmured,earning close to examine it.

"Where the hell did that thing come from?" Earl whimpered, still cowering behind Carlos.  
"Oh, sorry Earl, I forgot you're afraid of spiders," Cecil said, moving away from his friend slightly.  
"It's okay, just needed to get used to it," Earl said, stepping out from behind Carlos.

"Carlos?" Cecil said, stretching the word out for a long time.  
"What?" Carlos asked, worried that he knew exactly what Cecil was about to ask him.  
"Can I keep him?"  
"Cecil, honey, where are you gonna keep it?" Carlos asked.  
"I'm very good with tarantulas, I had one as a kid, if you treat them right they'll sit on your shoulder and behave all nicely" Cecil explained, using his other hand the stroke the tarantula a bit.  
"Fine," Carlos sighed, "but only if it's okay with Earl,"  
"It's fine, just keep it away from me," Earl said, simply because he liked seeing Cecil happy, "but you need to get it a cage and some food," Cecil nodded in agreement.  
"Alright, let me find directions to the nearest pet store," Carlos said, pulling out his phone.


	6. The Internship Program

"Hi!" said the young man behind the counter of the pet store, "how can I help you guys?"  
"We're looking for a cage for that thing," Steve said, pointing behind his shoulder at the tarantula, which was still perched on Cecil's shoulder, "and food and stuff for it too,"  
"Ok, I know someone who can help you," the store worker said, stepping out from behind the counter, and heading towards the other side of the store. "Hey, George, can you help these guys out?" the man called out, and another man stepped out from behind the shelves, "George is our tarantula expert, he'll be able to help," the younger man said, before wandering away.  
"What have you got there?" George asked curiously, stepping forward to examine the tarantula on Cecil's shoulder. The spider ran down Cecil's arm, and Cecil held up his hand to show it to George. "Huh, you know...these guys are pretty venomous, you need a licence to keep them,"  
"Yeah, he's got one of those at home, he doesn't need to show it to you though, right?" Steve said, "because he's not buying the spider from you,"  
"Yeah, that's fine as long as he's got one," George said, letting the spider run back up onto Cecil's shoulder. "You have had the venom removed though, haven't you?"  
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Cecil assured him, "I just need a smaller tank ad some food for it, we're on a trip at the moment and he needs something to travel in,"  
"Ah, ok then, I'll show the smallest tanks we have suitable for these guys," George said, pulling a box down from a shelf,"these ones are pretty good,"  
"That looks good," Carlos said, taking the box from George to examine it, "how secure is it?"  
"Very secure, it has a lock on the lid," George replied.  
"Perfect, that'll do just fine! All we need now is enough food to last a few weeks and whatever else it needs," Carlos said, watching as he tarantula ran up onto Cecil's head.

Half an hour later, after George had finished telling them everything they needed to know, they got back to the car. The tarantula was comfortably settled in it's new tank, which Cecil had found a space for in the back of the car, and they were ready to hit the road again.  
"Do you think Roger would like a pet?" Earl wondered aloud from the backseat.  
"Sure, kids love pets!" Cecil answered, "Maybe he'd like a cobra, or a scorpion or something,"  
"Maybe not," Carlos jumped in, "perhaps something that's easier to look after would be better for a first pet,"  
"He's said he wants a hamster, maybe I'll get him one when I get back," Earl said.

"Hey, Cecil, I think I know where your little tarantula friend appeared from," Steve called, holding up a cardboard box he'd found on the floor. There was a huge ripped hole in the bottom.  
"Is that this month's Venom Box?" Cecil asked. He leaned forward, taking the box and peering at the label. There, in slightly sticky red ink, it read: Venom Box - your monthly box of venomous creatures.  
"Well that's that mystery solved," Carlos remarked from the driver's seat.  
"Looks like it ate it's way out," Cecil said, taking the leaflet from inside the box and looking at it. "Wow, these guys really are venomous!"  
"As long as you keep that thing away from me!" Earl said, pushing a strand of ginger hair out of his eyes.  
"Don't worry, Earlybird, I'll keep it locked away," Cecil laughed.  
"Earlybird?" Steve asked curiously at the nickname.  
"It's an old nickname from when we were scouts together," Earl explained. Steve nodded in understanding, and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes gently. 

Cecil wound the window down, leaning his head out into the wind, feeling the air push his blonde curly hair back from his face. He felt his third eye begin to open, and placed a hand over his forehead, closing it again.  
"It's weird, not having my third eye open and seeing everything all the time," Cecil stated, his head still hanging out of the window.  
"What's it like, seeing everything that happens in Night Vale at once?" Steve asked.  
"Hard to explain," Cecil replied, "kind of like a bunch of thoughts and memories swirling around my head, and they show me what's going on," Steve made a sound of recognition, and then closed his eyes again.

Cecil pulled his head back in to the car, and pulled his phone out of his pocket.  
"I'm going to check in on the interns," he said, already dialling, "Hey!" he cried a moment later, "It's me, Cecil! Yeah, how are you? Good, good.... how's Khoshekh? Good! Yeah, tell him I miss him and I''ll be back to see him in a few weeks. How are the kittens? yeah they do that sometimes....yeah, don't worry about it...okay.... how many? Three? Okay, you had better go before station management get angry, okay, bye!" Cecil hung up, and placed his phone on the dashboard.  
"What was the three?" Carlos asked curiously.  
"Amount of interns that have died since I've been gone," Cecil explained.  
"Three? In two days?" Steve cried, "Wow, how do you even get interns anymore?"  
"We run a great internship program, thank you very much!" Cecil retorted, "and, actually, three isn't two bad what with all the five-headed dragons around at the moment,"  
"Fair enough," Steve sighed, "hey, when did Earl fall asleep?" Cecil glanced into the back of the car, and saw that Earl was indeed asleep, with his head slumped against the window.  
"You'd better wake him up soon," Carlos called to Steve, "we need to stop and do some shopping soon,"


	7. Food Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping with Cecil and Earl is interesting. And Carlos's mother is a very lovely woman.

"Wow, stores outside of Night Vale are strange," Cecil exclaimed as they wandered around a huge food store later that day.  
"More candy?" Earl asked, gesturing to a shelf covered in bags of candy.  
"Yes!" Cecil cried, grabbing a few of the colourful bags off of the shelf, and throwing them into the cart.  
"You eat too much sugar," Carlos laughed.  
"Ahh, you love it really," Cecil chuckled, leaning in to quickly kiss Carlos.  
"Eww, my eyes!" Earl squealed, darting around them.  
"Grow up!" Cecil laughed, playfully elbowing Earl in the ribs. Earl fell to the floor, laughing even harder.  
"We have a man down!" Carlos exclaimed, reaching down to grab Earl's hand and pull him back up.  
"Thanks mate!" Earl said, before turning to glare at Cecil. His glare was ruined, however, by the huge smile spreading across his face.  
"Wow! You really are all still children," Steve murmured, from where he was stocking the cart with soda. Cecil rolled his eyes at Steve with a sigh.  
"You just need to learn to have fun," Cecil told Steve, and then turned to throw more candy into the cart.  
"Right, we have enough snacks now!" Carlos called out eventually, "if we don't stop shopping soon we'll never fit it all into the car," The others agreed, and they made there way to pay.

It took a while for them to load all of the shopping into the car, but soon they were back on their way.   
"I'll drive for a while," Steve offered, already pulling open the driver's door. Earl climbed into the passenger seat, with Carlos and Cecil taking their places in the back. By the time they had started to pull out of the parking lot, Cecil was already ripping open a bag of candy.  
"Want one?" Cecil asked, pushing the bag up to Carlos's face. Carlos took one, and leaned over to give Cecil a kiss to thank him.  
"Enough of that in the back already!" Earl laughed. Cecil leaned forward to playfully shove Earl from behind, before turning back towards Carlos.  
"So, have you heard from your family?" Cecil asked.  
"No actually, I should tell my mom I'm on the way," Carlos answered, and he opened up his phone. He dialled the number, and the two listened as it rung a few times.  
"Put it on speaker!" Earl called, at the same time muting the radio. Carlos did what earl said, and then held the phone up slightly as sometime picked up.

"Carlos?" came a friendly voice from the phone.  
"Hi mom, I'm just calling you to say we're on the second day of our road trip!" Carlos spoke into the phone, a small smile playing on his lips at the sound of his mother's voice.   
"That's good, I am looking forward to meeting this boyfriend of yours," Carlos's mother answered, "where are you friends at the moment?"  
"They're in the car with me,"  
"Are you texting and driving, Carlos?" his mother shrieked.  
"No, no, Steve's driving," Carlos reassured her.  
"Ah, Steve, you told me about him," his mother mused.  
"You want to talk to my friends?" Carlos asked  
"Ooh, yes," the woman squealed, and Carlos held the phone up higher, encouraging his friends to speak.  
"Hi!" Earl called.  
"Hello, who's that?"   
"I'm Earl, Carlos's friend,"  
"And I'm Steve!" the other man called from the driver's seat.  
"Lovely to meet you all," Carlos's mother chuckled to herself slightly, "Carlos, is your lovely boyfriend there?"  
"Yes mom, here he is," Carlos answered holding the phone closer to Cecil.  
"Hello," Cecil said softly, sounding nervous. This was the first time he had spoken to Carlos's mother. Carlos placed a hand reassuringly on Cecil's knee. Cecil smiled at him, and then began to speak again, "I'm really looking forward to meeting you,"  
"Ah, you must be Cecil!" came the reply, "I'm looking forward to meeting you as well! I have heard so many good things about you from my son, but, we will talk properly when you arrive,"  
"Yeah, definitely" Cecil told her.  
"Okay, well I have to go and visit a friend, I'll talk to you soon! Bye!" Carlos's mother called, and then she hung up.

"Well, she seems friendly," Steve said from the driver's seat. Earl nodded in agreement.  
"I really am looking forward to seeing her," Cecil smiled, "She seems lovely,"   
"Well, I am glad to hear that," Carlos said, leaning forward to Cecil again. "Hey, you guys," Carlos said as he pulled away from Cecil, "we're a few hours ahead of the schedule, and there's a beach about half an hour away, want to stop there for a while?"  
"Yes!" cheered Earl, jumping up and down in his seat slightly.  
"Yep, I'll get the directions up," Steve said, already tapping at the satnav.  
"Is that all right with you?" Carlos asked Cecil.  
"Yeah," Cecil said, leaning forward to kiss Carlos again, "I haven't been to the beach in ages!"  
"Alright, beach here we come!" Steve cheered.


	8. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have time to stop a beach. So they do just that.

Steve pulled up at the beach, and cheers erupted inside the car.  
"This takes me back to my trip around Europe," Cecil sighed as they climbed out of the car. Carlos wrapped his arm around Cecil's waist, pulling him closer.  
"Hey, maybe we can go back to some of your favourite parts of Europe for our honeymoon," Carlos suggested, bumping his hip gently against Cecil's.  
"That'd be good," Cecil murmured brushing his lips against Carlos's.  
"Come on you two!" called Steve, who was helping Earl pull a few blankets from the back of the car.  
"We're coming!" Carlos called back, and he wandered after the other two, grasping Cecil's hand.

They made their way to the shore slowly. Steve and Earl were walking ahead, chatting quietly to each other. Carlos and Cecil were walking behind, travelling slower than the others on account of Cecil's arthritis. Eventually, they found a good spot, not too far from the edge of the water, and laid down the blankets. Earl dropped the bag of food onto the edge of the blanket, and then sat down next to it. Steve settled himself down on the blanket as well, laying back on the sand.  
"Want to go down to the water?" Carlos murmured to Cecil, who nodded eagerly.

The two wandered down to the edge of the water slowly, Cecil leaning heavily on his walking stick. When they got there, Carlos knelt down to help Cecil pull his shoes and socks off, before pulling off his own. Cecil pushed the stick into the sand, so that it stayed standing up on its own. Then, the two splashed into the water.  
"Ooh, that's cold," Cecil winced as the water first hit his ankles, "quite nice, though," he added as an afterthought. 

The sea bed was soft and sandy under their feet. Carlos turned slowly to face Cecil, and leaned in to kiss him softly. Cecil wrapped his arms tightly around Carlos's waist, pulling him closer. He raised a hand slowly to run it through the scientist's long hair.  
"I'm glad you let this grow longer," Cecil mumbled as they pulled back slightly. Carlos laughed softly, and Cecil felt the man's warm breath against his lips.  
"Thank you," Carlos murmured.  
"For what?" Cecil asked, pulling back a bit more to look into Carlos's eyes.  
"For coming with me on this trip, for agreeing to meet my family, even just for saying yes to marrying me," Carlos smiled.  
"It's no problem," Cecil replied, "and anyway, why wouldn't I say yes to marrying you?"  
"That's a good point," Carlos chuckled, before leaning back in and placing a kiss on Cecil's forehead.  
"We probably shouldn't leave our friends waiting," Cecil mumbled, burying his face into Carlos's neck as the scientists hugged him tightly.  
"yeah," Carlos sighed, "Also, I'm hungry,"  
"Me too," Cecil agreed, and went to move back towards the shore. "Oh!" he exclaimed, wincing in pain.  
"What's up?" Carlos asked, taking Cecil's hand in his.  
"My legs hurt," Cecil sighed, slowly taking a few steps.  
"Alright, lean on my shoulder, the shore isn't far," Carlos told him. 

Carlos made his way towards the sand, with Cecil leaning heavily on his shoulder. He wrapped one arm tightly around Cecil's waist to help support him, and together they took the last few steps onto the land. Carlos grabbed Cecil's walking stick, and handed it to him, before scooping up their shoes and socks.  
"We'll put these back on when we get to the others," Carlos said, and the two headed up the beach.

"Hey you two," Earl smiled as they reached them, "how's the water?"  
"It's nice, you should try it," Carlos smiled back, dropping down onto the blanket and using one sock to brush the sand off of his feet. Cecil struggle to sit down. Carlos reached up to support Cecil as he reached the floor and settled down. As the two pulled their shoes back on, Steve and Earl finished the food they'd been eating.  
"I fancy a wander in the water," Steve said, pulling himself to his feet, "You coming Earl?"

"Yeah, sure," Earl agreed, and the two headed off to the edge of the water.

Cecil laid down on the blanket, staring up at the sky. Carlos pulled a few bags of food out, and then laid down on his back next to Cecil.  
"So, are things better between you and Steve now?" Carlos asked, rolling onto his side to face Cecil.  
"Yeah, I guess. I'll tell you all about it someday," Cecil replied.  
"Good," Carlos said, leaning over to kiss Cecil's for head, right where his third eye normally was. Cecil laughed, and then pulled out his phone to take a selfie. Carlos rolled his eyes slightly, but still leaned into the picture. Cecil took the picture, and then switched onto his snapchat to take another one.  
"To send to Josie," Cecil existed before Carlos even had time to ask. The scientist simply shook his head in amusement.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night relaxing in the hotel is what they all need, but a few glasses of champagne brings with it some unexpected scenarios.

Eventually, they decided they should start packing up, and headed back towards the car.  
"How far away's the hotel?" Earl asked.  
"About an hour," Carlos replied, pulling up the directions on his phone, "once we get there we can sort out what we're doing for dinner,"

They drove through small streets, Cecil peering out of the window and commenting on the outfits of every single person. Earl drove, with Carlos in the passenger seat, shouting out directions, as the satnav kept getting it wrong. Steve was sat in the back with Cecil. The two still weren't exactly comfortable talking to each other, but at least they'd come a long way from hating each other like they had used to.

"Dos that woman not know that you should never wear too much of one colour?" Cecil sighed as they drove past a particular person on the street.  
"I though she looked nice," Steve said.  
"No offence Steve, but you know nothing about fashion," Cecil retorted.  
"Cecil!" Carlos cried from the front seat, "behave!"  
"I'm just saying..." Cecil mumbled, "sorry," he sighed eventually  
"Hey, that's alright!" Steve said cheerfully.  
"Oooh, I like her shirt though!"Cecil squealed excitedly, pointing towards another lady on the street.  
"Cecil you have a shirt exactly like that," Carlos sighed.  
"Actually, the sleeves on mine are slightly different," Cecil pointed out.  
"Wait, you still buy women's clothes?" Earl called from the driver's seat.  
"Hey, fashion has no gender!" Cecil exclaimed.  
"What do you mean by still?" Carlos asked.  
"Oh, Cecil literally only wore women's clothes when we were younger," Earl explained with a causal wave of his hand.  
"Women's clothes are more comfortable and come in nicer colours!" Cecil protested.  
"Well, I think you look lovely no matter what you wear," Carlos said. Cecil smile, and reached forward to ruffle Carlos's hair playfully.

"Carlos, directions!" Earl cried suddenly as he reached a junction.  
"Left!" Carlos screamed back. They carried this on for a long time, yelling back at each other louder and louder until it became a strange sort of game. "Hotel should be on the left, you have reached your destination!" Carlos shrieked a while later.  
"Thank all the gods," Steve sighed, moving his hands, which he had had clamped over his ears for the last five minutes. Earl and Carlos were still laughing as they pulled into the hotel's parking lot.  
"Hey, look, the hotel has a restaurant inside it," Cecil pointed out.  
"Well, that makes finding dinner easier," Carlos said as the car came to a halt, "let's get a room first and then we'll get some food,"  
*******  
Later, they had taken the few bags they needed into their room, and were getting ready for dinner.  
"Cecil, do you really have to paint your nails right now?" Carlos sighed, as the nail varnish fumes began to fill the small room.  
"Carlos, I have to look my best, okay?" Cecil said, flapping one hand in the air to dry it.  
"Use this," Earl sighed, sliding a hairdryer in Cecil's directions, "it'll dry them quicker,"  
"Thanks!" Cecil cried, and a second later the room was filled with the sound of the dryer.  
"Carlos, I know you love your boyfriend but he's painfully slow at getting ready," Steve sighed from where he was sat on the edge of his bed, tugging on his shoes.  
"Yeah, you just get used to it I suppose," Carlos answered, raising his voice a little to be heard over the hairdryer.

A few moments later, Cecil was done.  
"Are you ready now?" Carlos asked.  
"Almost, did the hairdryer make my makeup run?" Cecil replied.  
"No, it's fine, check in the mirror if you don't believe me," Earl told Cecil.  
"Earl, mirrors are dangerous, they steal your soul," Cecil sighed, nodding towards the towel he had thrown over the mirror.  
"Cece, your makeup's fine, can we go now?" Carlos asked.  
"Yep, alright!" Cecil answered, "wait," he held up one hand, and pushed it to his third eye, causing it to close and become invisible, "Okay, let's go!"

As they wandered down the corridor, Cecil's phone pinged, and he pulled it out. He stared at the screen for a second, before smiling, and typing what seemed to be a mesage, that he then sent it.  
"What was that?" Carlos asked curiously as Cecil put his phone away.  
"A comment on one of my fan fictions," Cecil said.  
"You write fan fiction?" Steve asked curiously.  
"Yep," Cecil replied cheerily.  
"What type?" Earl asked.  
"You know the movie, Jaws?" Cecil said.  
"yeah," Earl answered cautiously.  
"I write Jaws fan fiction!" Cecil smiled. 

"Oh god," Steve sighed to himself, laughing softly.  
"My stories are very popular thank you very much!" Cecil retorted.  
"Carlos, did you know about this?" Steve questioned the scientist.  
"Yep," Carlos replied, linking his hand with Cecil's.  
"Wow, that's true love right there," Steve whistled. Earl chuckled, while Carlos simply nodded and Cecil just smiled to himself.  
******  
The restaurant was a nice place, and the food was even nicer. Once they'd finished their food, and were back in the room, they all dropped back onto their beds, tired and full.  
"Hey, I have champagne!" Steve exclaimed suddenly.  
"What?" asked Earl, sitting up straight.  
"Yeah, I picked it up when you three were fighting in the candy aisle," Steve explained.  
"We weren't fighting," protested Cecil.  
"okay, whatever," Steve sighed, and pulled out a bottle of champagne.  
"Not too much, we have driving to do tomorrow," Carlos warned them, "Steve and Earl should both get to their destinations by tomorrow afternoon if we stick to the schedule,". The others agreed not too drink too much, and the Steve grabbed four glasses from the side and poured some of it out. 

"A toast," Steve proposed, holding his glass in the air, and the others soon copied him. "to friendship, fun and many more trips like this in the future," the others murmured in agreement, raising their glasses to tap them together.  
******  
Half an hour later, Cecil had had three glasses of champagne, and was slightly tipsy.  
"Hey, Carlos!" he called, tapping something on his phone. Slow music immediately filled the room, "dance with me?" he asked, holding out one hand.  
"You sure your legs are up to it?" Carlos asked carefully.  
"Yeah," Cecil assured him, "it's fine,"  
"Alright then," Carlos agreed, standing up and letting Cecil pull him closer.

The two danced for a while, until they ended up standing, swaying slowly to the music, foreheads touching gently.  
"Oh, Mr Broom, may I have this dance," said a voice suddenly, and Cecil watched over Carlos's shoulder as Earl scooped up a broom from the corner and began to dance around with it.  
"You are such an idiot," Cecil chuckled fondly.  
"I'll tell you what, I'll stop dancing with the broom, if Steve dances with me instead," Earl declared.  
"I'm married," Steve reminded him.  
"And I'm drunk," Earl replied, "it's just a bit of fun," Steve sighed.  
"Fine, if it'll shut you up," Steve decided, hesitantly standing up and letting Earl take his hand.

Cecil and Carlos's laughter became hysterical as the two jokingly began to dance around the room. Cecil sat back on the bed, and Carlos flopped down beside him. The two watched, their stomachs hurting from laughing too much, as Earl attempted to spin and fell over the broom he had left abandoned on the floor. Carlos sighed, it was going to be a long night.


	10. Chapter 10

Carlos woke up, and found that he was strangely cold. Looking to his left, he realised Cecil had stolen all of the duvet, and was completely rolled up in it. He sighed, and sat up, stretching. He found himself thanking his past self for not drinking too much the night before. 

Making his way to the bathroom, Carlos found that there was something sticky and pink smeared down his cheek. Was it lipstick?  
"Cecil," he murmured to himself, recognising the shade as his boyfriend's favourite. Splashing cold water on his face, he held up his wrist, realising his watch was still on, and checked the time. Half eight. Breakfast went on until half eleven. He decided to give the others slightly longer to sleep and stepped into the shower.  
******  
Fifteen minutes later, Carlos wandered out of the shower, and found Steve watching him from the other side of the main room.  
"Morning," Steve mumbled, running a hand through his hair tiredly.  
"Good morning," Carlos smiled, looking at Cecil, who was still curled up in the blankets.  
"You should probably wake him up," Steve said, "his tarantula needs feeding,"  
"Oh, yeah," Carlos said

He leaned down, and gently shook Cecil's shoulders. A few moments passed, and then Cecil looked up, his eyes flickering open. The third eye, however, stayed firmly shut. There were smears of black eyeliner and mascara under his eyes, and he was still wearing his clothes from the previous night.  
"Hey," Carlos smiled, leaning down to kiss Cecil's forehead. "I think your pet needs feeding,"  
"Oh, yeah, the tarantula," Cecil sighed, pulling himself out of the bed, and dragging himself over to the tarantula's cage. Carlos smiled at his retreating boyfriend, and then turned back to Steve. He noticed that Earl was also waking up now.  
"Hey, I'm gonna get in the shower," Steve mumbled, and he wandered slowly into the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Cecil, where are my hair ties?" Carlos called, getting annoyed with the strands of wet hair that kept swinging into his eyes.  
"They're in my makeup bag," he replied.  
"Thanks," Carlos said, grabbing one. He pulled his hair up into a short ponytail, immediately feeling better with the weight of it off of his shoulders.  
"Looks cute," said a voice behind him, and he felt Cecil wrapping his arms around his waist.  
"Yeah, you look cute too," Carlos replied, turning round and kissing Cecil, "although you do look a tiny bit like a panda,"  
"What?" Cecil cried, pulling away, and grabbing his phone out of his pocket to look at himself in the camera. "Oh, god, I need a shower," he sighed, "Steve! Hurry up!" he called towards the bathroom. There was no reply, but a few moments later the water turned off.  
"He'll be done soon," Carlos told Cecil. As he spoke, Steve stepped out of the bathroom.  
"You are so impatient," Steve sighed, trudging past Cecil towards his bed, where he'd stashed his bag of clothes. Cecil rolled his eyes, huffed, and then trudged into the bathroom, grabbing his makeup bag on the way.

A while later, the sound of the water had stopped a while ago, and Carlos was getting worried about Cecil.  
"Cecil, you've been in there for ages," he called, knocking on the door gently.  
"I'm just doing my makeup," came his reply.  
"You didn't wear any makeup yesterday apart from in the evening," Carlos called back through the door, "why's it so important today?"  
"Well, I can't wear any tomorrow, can I?" he sighed.  
"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, "Cece, I'm coming in, okay?" He pushed open the door (Cecil never remembered to lock the door), and stepped into the bathroom, pushing it shut behind him.

Cecil was standing in front of the sink, his new, clean clothes on, with his phone propped up against the tap, with the camera open. The mirror was, of course, covered with a towel and some paper.  
"What's up?" Carlos asked, moving to stand behind Cecil.  
"Well, I need to make myself look normal tomorrow, right?" Cecil asked.  
"Normal, what do you mean?" Carlos questioned him.  
"Well, you know, I'm not exactly what you're family's expecting am I?" Cecil sighed.  
"I don't care!" Carlos cried, "I love you exactly as you are, and I don't want you to pretend to be someone else in front of them. So, tomorrow, you can put on as much makeup as you want, you wear whatever you want, and you be yourself. Okay?"  
"Really?" Cecil murmured.  
"Of course, Cecil, and I know they're going to love you!"  
"Okay," Cecil murmured, turning around to hug Carlos. "I still want to wear makeup today though," he mumbled against Carlos's chest. Carlos laughed softly.  
"You do exactly what you want to do," he told him.

Carlos stayed there, sitting on the edge of the bath tub and watching Cecil put on his makeup.  
"How's your nail polish doing?" Carlos asked, knowing Cecil had a tendency to pick it off after a few hours. In reply, Cecil held up one hand. All of his nails were still completely immaculate, the purple nail polish shining in the bright light of the bathroom. "Looks good," Carlos told him. Cecil smiled, before finishing up his makeup, and beginning to pack it all away.  
"We should probably let Earl get in here and shower," Carlos said.  
"Oh, yeah," Cecil mumbled, opening the door.

"You two alright?" Steve asked as they wandered back into the room.  
"Yep, all good," Carlos smiled, wrapping one arm around Cecil's waist.  
"Good, I need a shower," Earl mumbled, wandering into the bathroom. "Wait, I have a suggestion," he said, leaning back out of the door.  
"What is it?" Carlos asked.  
"Why don't we just have some toast before we leave or something, and get some thing from a fast food place or something on the way," Earl suggested.  
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Cecil said, and the others agreed .  
"Alright, it's sorted," Carlos said, "now, Earl, get in the shower," he laughed. Earl smiled, and disappeared back into the bathroom.  
******  
A while later, they settled into chairs in the dining area, armed with cups of coffee and plates of toast.  
"So, Steve, we're only a couple of hours away from that woman you're visiting, and then we should be at your place by the afternoon, Earl," Carlos said, taking a sip of his coffee.  
"Okay, cool," Steve said.  
"Ok, well be'll be back there to pick you up on our way back," Carlos said, "You too, Earl. If there's any change to your schedule just ring me,"  
"Will do," Earl smiled, finishing up his toast in a few bites.

They finished their breakfast quite quickly, and then moved all of their stuff back to the car. Cecil had to smuggle the tarantula's cage out under a jacket, due to the hotel's no pets rule. Back in the car, they settled into their seats, and got ready for the few hours of journeying ahead of them.

Carlos was driving, due to him being the one who had drunk the least the night before. Cecil had managed to hurt his legs dancing, and was settled in the passenger seat, his legs stretched out as much as possible, and whimpering in pain every time they went over a bump in the road. Steve, sitting in the back with the bags, found Cecil's pain killers and passed them forward to him, along with a bottle of water from one of the snack bags.  
"Thanks," Cecil smiled, swallowing two of the pain killers, and flopping back in his seat. Carlos turned up the radio, and music began to play softly. "It's nothing like Night Vale Radio," he sighed, winding down the window slightly to let some air into the car.  
"I know, but you'll be back there before you even realise it," Carlos reassured him.  
"Yeah, I miss Khoshekh though," Cecil sighed. He pulled out his phone, and clicked onto his Tumblr. Scrolling through, he found a couple of pictures of his cat, and smiled fondly at the screen.  
"I'm sure he's being taken care of just fine by the interns," Carlos said.  
"Yeah, you're probably right," Cecil said, pushing his phone away once again.

Earl was relaxing in the back, when he noticed a sign for some roadside services up ahead.  
"There might be somewhere we can get hot food in there," Earl suggested.  
"Yeah, let's check it out," Carlos said, turning the car down the side road. 

They pulled into the services a few minutes later, and drove through the drive through of a fast food restaurant. Carlos pulled up at the window, and they all ordered the food they wanted. Armed with warm food, and fresh drinks, they rolled out onto the road, ready for their last few hours as a whole group.


	11. Destinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Earl have finally reached their destinations.

The next two hours of the drive went by quickly. Steve explained some of his theories, and Carlos tried to use some science to explain them. Cecil and Earl discussed old scout camp memories. Earl got stressed out over Roger's transparency, and the others managed to calm him down. And then, suddenly, they were at Steve's stop.

"The old woman living here knows so much about Night Vale, I really hope she can help me with some of my theories," Steve smiled, "Thanks for the ride you guys, it's been a good couple of days. Enjoy your cooking thing, Earl, and you two, have fun with Carlos's parents. I'll see you in a few days, yeah?"  
"Yeah, see you the, Steve, have fun." Carlos smiled, watching as Steve climbed out of the car.  
"Bye!" Cecil called, waving.  
"See ya!" Earl called. Then a woman appeared at the door of a house, and invited Steve in. He disappeared into the house, and Carlos drove away.  
******  
"So," Cecil said as the car rolled along a small road, "we'll be saying goodbye to you soon as well, Earl,"  
"You make it sound like I'm never coming back," Earl laughed.

"Well, it'll be quiet without you," Carlos said.  
"Ah, I'll be back for the return journey," Earl smiled.

Carlos drove onto a main road, and they began to pick up speed.  
"Huh, Roger sent me a selfie," Earl said, leaning into the front of the car, and holding his phone out so the other two could see.  
"That's Janice, not Roger," Cecil pointed out.  
"Roger is in front of Janice," Earl explained. Cecil peered closer at the screen, and realised he could faintly see the outline of Earl's son in the picture.  
"Wow, he's gotten more transparent since the last time I saw him," Carlos said.  
"Yeah, I wish I could stop it, for his sake as well as mine," Earl sighed.  
"I'll try and do some research when I've got some spare time," Carlos promised him. A small smile crossed Earl's face, and he nodded, putting his phone back into his pocket.  
"Thanks Carlos, that means a lot," Earl said, leaning his head on the window.

Cecil began to pull some snacks out of the bag, throwing a few things in Earl's direction.  
"So, what exactly is this cooking thing anyway?" Cecil asked, sticking his head out of the window.  
"It's about how to improve recipes, and adapt other people's food to make your own recipes," Earl explained.  
"Sounds good, are you going to use the recipes at your restaurant?" Carlos asked.  
"Yeah, that's the plan," Earl answered, rolling down his window slightly. Cecil turned round to smile at Earl briefly, and then turned back to leaning his head out of the window. "Cecil, have you turned into a dog?" Earl asked.  
"No, I just like the feeling of the wind on my face," Cecil replied.  
"Nah, I'm pretty sure you've turned into a dog," Carlos teased Cecil.  
"I have not!" Cecil protested, turning to childishly stick his tongue out at Carlos. Carlos rolled his eyes, and then turned his attention back to the road.  
******  
An hour later, they reached a hotel in a small town.  
"Here you go, Earl," Carlos said, pulling over at the side of the road.  
"You're sure you've got a room booked?" Cecil asked.  
"Yes Cecil, I have the info right here," Earl said, holding up a piece of paper.  
"Okay, have fun!" Cecil called as Earl climbed out the back of the car. Earl wandered away towards the hotel, looking back over his shoulder several times. Eventually, he disappeared inside the hotel.  
"Will he be alright?" Carlos asked, peering cautiously at the place where they had last seen Earl.  
"I think so, I'm a little bit worried about him though," Cecil answered, "he doesn't spend a lot of time alone, he's not used to it,"  
"Well, he has our phone numbers if he needs us, we won't be far away," Carlos reassured Cecil, although it sounded like he was reassuring himself as well. A few moments later, they pulled away.

"Huh," Cecil murmured after a few minutes of driving in silence.  
"What's up?" Carlos asked.  
"Just thinking how long it's been since it was just the two of us," Cecil said.  
"It's been three days, Cecil," Carlos laughed.  
"That's a long time, okay?" Cecil smiled.

Carlos rolled his eyes, laughing to himself softly. Cecil smiled to himself slightly, leaning his head slightly out of the window again.  
"You really are just like a little dog," Carlos laughed. Cecil slowly raised his middle finger in Carlos's direction. "Rude!" the scientist retorted, playfully slapping Cecil's hand back down. "Now, I really need to concentrate on driving," he sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just a filler chapter so it's pretty short and boring, better stuff in the next few chapters!


	12. Chapter 12

A few minutes of driving passed in comfortable silence. Carlos focused on the road, muttering under his breath every now and again at particularly bad drivers around them. Cecil scrolled casually through something on his phone, occasionally stopping to type something. Carlos had a feeling that Cecil was editing one of his latest fanfictions.

Eventually, Cecil reached slowly towards the radio, and fiddled with a few of the buttons. A familiar song filled the car, and Carlos smiled as Cecil began to sing along quietly .

As the song came to an end, and a news report came on, Cecil turned to Carlos.  
"Tell me about your family," he said.  
"I've told you before," Carlos answered.  
"Well, you've told me about how lovely your mom is, but you've never told me about your dad or your sister," Cecil explained, "and I don't exactly want to wander into their house without knowing anything about them first,"  
"Alright, I'll tell you," Carlos sighed, settling back in his seat.

"My dad's not like my mom, not exactly," Carlos started, "he's nice enough, and I suppose he was a good dad to me. But, he isn't exactly accepting of my decisions in life, he kind of wishes he could control me. He definitely didn't want me to move to Night Vale, and I have to admit I'm slightly worried about his opinions on our wedding,"  
"Hey, it'll be fine," Cecil reassured him,  
"Yeah, mom won't let him say anything bad anyway," Carlos said, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself as well as Cecil, "oh but you'll love my sister, Ava! She's a lot like you, actually. She loves social media and music and cats. She's an amazing person, I can't wait for you to meet her," Carlos smiled enthusiastically, waving one arm in the air as he spoke.  
"Please put your hand back on the steering wheel," Cecil said quickly, knowing that Carlos wasn't the best driver when he was distracted. Carlos laughed, and did what Cecil said.

"Well, I can't wait to meet your family!" Cecil declared after a few moments, "They sound pretty awesome, I'm sure even your dad will have his good sides,"  
"Oh he definitely does, you just have to learn how to please him," Carlos replied.

As the conversation drew to a slow end, another song began to fill the car, and Cecil joined in happily. Carlos laughed fondly, and carried on with the driving.  
******  
It was still early in the afternoon when they reached the hotel Carlos had been driving towards. After checking that there was a room spare and moving their bags in, they drove out to a small shopping town about a mile away.

They wandered into a clothes store, Cecil having been drawn in by the colourful displays in the windows. Immediately, he wandered towards the shoe racks in the back of the store.  
"Do you really need more shoes?" Carlos asked, thinking about the huge pile of shoes in their bedroom back at home.  
"There is no such thing as too many pairs of shoes," Cecil stated, scooping up a pair of shoes and inspecting them under the bright lights of the store.   
"Alright, I need some shirts," Carlos said, moving away to sort through some racks.  
"Okay," Cecil mumbled distractedly.

Carlos sorted through the shirts, peering at them but not really paying attention. His phone beeped, and he pulled it out. There was a snapchat waiting from his sister. It was a selfie, with the caption: can't wait to see you tomorrow! He replied with: you too!, and then looked across the store to where he had last seen Cecil. He wasn't there.  
"Hey, Carlos!" cried a voice suddenly, and he spun around to see Cecil standing behind him, holding a shoe box.  
"There you are," he said, "I need your help choosing between these two shirts," he held up the best two shirts he had found, one blue one and one pink one.  
"Hmm..." Cecil hummed, "the blue one," he eventually decided, pointing at the soft, pale blue shirt.  
"That's what I thought," Carlos said, hanging the pink one back on the rack. "Okay, this one it is! Did you find any good shoes?"  
"Yeah, look at these," Cecil said, holding out the shoe box and pulling the lid off. Inside were a pair of purple converse.  
"Nice," Carlos said, "anything else you need?"  
"Nope, let's go pay!" Cecil cried, already skipping happily towards the counter. Carlos followed him, laughing softly.

"Hi," the woman at the counter said, "did you find everything you wanted?"  
"yes thank you," Cecil said, pushing his shoes and Carlos's shirt onto the side, and then pulling a card out of his wallet.  
"Woah, I'll pay," Carlos said.  
"No way Carlos, you've been paying to run the car the whole way here, the least I can do is pay for a shirt," Cecil argued, handing his card to the woman.  
"Seriously, Cecil, are you sure? I can buy it myself if you want," Carlos asked.  
"Carlos, we're going to be married soon, I can definitely pay for a shirt for you," Cecil said, typing in his in number.  
"Aw, you two are getting married," the woman smiled, packing the items into a carrier bag.  
"Yeah," Cecil beamed, rocking back and forth on his heels happily.  
"Congratulations, I hope it goes well!" the woman said as she handed the bag to Cecil.  
"Thanks," Carlos smiled, "we've got to get going, bye!" he called over his shoulder. Cecil waved happily to her as the two of them wandered out of the store.  
******  
Back at the hotel a while later, Carlos pulled on his new shirt.  
"What do you think?" Carlos asked, turning on the spot to show Cecil.  
"It's good," Cecil smiled from where he was sitting on the bed. He stuck his feet up in the air, waving them around. "These shoes are cute as well, right?"  
"Yep, they're adorable!" Carlos reassured him. Cecil struggled to his feet to kiss Carlos. The scientist smiled, and wrapped an arm around Cecil's waist. "You want to head down to the restaurant next door now?"  
"Yeah, let's go!" Cecil answered.


	13. Chapter 13

Carlos woke up the next morning to find Cecil missing from his usual place next to him in the bed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly.  
"Cecil?" he called.  
"In here!" yelled a voice from the bathroom, "just doing my makeup," Carlos got up, and wandered towards the bathroom. The door was open, light spilling out from behind it into the dim room.

"How long have you been awake?" Carlos asked, sitting on the edge of the bath as he watched Cecil finish up his makeup.  
"Just under an hour," Cecil answered. Carlos checked his watch, it was almost nine. "Hey, is my makeup okay?" Cecil asked eventually, turning around to show Carlos.  
"Looks perfect to me!" Carlos answered.  
"Good enough to meet your parents?" Cecil enquired.  
"Definitely," Carlos said, watching Cecil carefully wipe loose eye shadow off of his cheek.  
"Right, now I'm going to pack my bags up," Cecil mumbled tiredly, wandering out.  
"Alright!" Carlos called, pushing the door shut and getting ready for a shower.  
******  
Later, after breakfast, they loaded everything into the car, and settled into their seats. Cecil loaded a cd into the player, and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the head rest.

"Should only take two hours to get there," Carlos mumbled, typing the address into the maps app on his phone.  
"Good, I'll be glad to spend a few days out of the car," Cecil smiled, before humming along to the song that was playing. Carlos smiled, and wound down his window to let the cold breeze into the stuffy car.

Carlos watched out of the corner of his eye as Cecil slowly pulled out his phone and pointed it in his direction.  
"Cecil," Carlos said, and Cecil immediately turned his head to look at him, lowering in his phone, "Are you taking photos of me?" he laughed.  
"Well... you look cute when you're driving!" Cecil protested eventually.   
"And who are you planning on sending them to?" Carlos asked.  
"No one!" Cecil cried.  
"Cecil, I know you too well to believe that," Carlos said.  
"Fine, I was going to send it to Dana," he replied.  
"Dana? As in the mayor of Night Vale?" asked Carlos.  
"Yeah, she's my friend, remember?" Cecil answered, quickly raising his phone again to snap another picture of Carlos. Carlos simply shook his head in amusement. A few moments later, he heard the sound of Cecil sending the picture.  
******  
An hour and a half later, Carlos suddenly sat up straighter in his seat.  
"Hey, Cecil, we're almost there!" he exclaimed.  
"Really, that was quicker than you said," Cecil yawned, stretching his arms above his head.  
"Yeah, there was less traffic than the map said there would be," Carlos explained, turning onto a small street. Cecil nodded, humming softly under his breath, and pressed his forehead against the window to take a look. The car turned a few corners, and then slowed down. "It's on the left here," Carlos said, pulling up in a space at the side of the road.  
"Wow, it's pretty," Cecil said, looking in the direction of the house Carlos had pointed at.  
"Yeah, you ready to meet my family?" Carlos asked. Cecil nodded slowly.  
"Sure, let's do it," he smiled, reaching over to grab Carlos's hand.


	14. Family

After agreeing to come back later for the bags, they wandered up the small garden path. Cecil was leaning heavily on his walking stick, his other hand clasping Carlos's tightly. Carlos noticed Cecil was shaking slightly, and stopped for a second, turning towards his boyfriend.  
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.  
"Yeah, but I'm so nervous, I hope they like me," Cecil admitted, leaning his forehead against Carlos's.  
"I'm sure they'll love you," Carlos reassured him, "I'm nervous too, but, you know what, it's going to be fine," he said, before turning back towards the house. "Come on," he smiled, stepping up towards the door and pressing the doorbell.

There were a few seconds of silence, in which Carlos could only hear Cecil's slightly shaky breaths. Then, the door swung open, revealing a happy looking older woman standing there.  
"Carlos!" she cried, stepping forward and wrapping Carlos in a tight hug. Eventually, Carlos's mother stepped back, and gently pushed Carlos aside to look at Cecil. "Hi, you must be Cecil," she said warmly.  
"Yeah, um...hi," he said, a small, shaky smile forming on his face.  
"Come in, come in," she mumbled, stepping aside to make room, "your father's in the living room," Cecil saw Carlos look slightly worried at this, and squeezed the scientist's hand tighter.

They stepped into a small, comfortable living room. Sitting in an armchair was a short man with greying hair.  
"Carlos, it's been a while," his father said, standing up and giving his son a small, awkward hug.  
"Yeah, hi dad," Carlos answered, stepping backwards after a few seconds. "um, this is Cecil," Carlos said, gesturing slightly in Cecil's direction with one hand.  
"HI!" Cecil smiled, waving with the hand that wasn't holding his walking stick. Carlos's dad simply narrowed his eyes, and nodded in Cecil's direction.  
"Hi," Carlos's dad said eventually, "Um.. yeah I'm going to check on the dinner,". They wall watched as the man left the room. Once he was gone, Carlos's mother laid a hand on the scientist's shoulder reassuringly.  
"He'll come around," she said. "Hey, what's with the stick?" she asked, looking towards Cecil.  
"Oh, it's nothing, just arthritis left over from lyme disease," Cecil explained.  
"Oh my goodness, sit down, sit down!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly towards the couch. Carlos smiled, and sat down first, grabbing Cecil's hand and pulling him down as well.

"It's good to see you anyway, mom," Carlos said eventually.  
"It's good to see you too, and it's lovely to meet you, Cecil," she answered. At that moment, the doorbell rang out loudly through the house. Carlos's mother dashed instantly towards the front door.

A few seconds later, a woman, slightly younger than Cecil and Carlos, ran into the room.  
"Carlos!" she squealed loudly.  
"Ava!" he cried jumping to his feet and rushing to hug his sister.  
"I've missed you," she smiled as they broke apart. "Hey, where's the boyfriend?"  
"Here," Cecil said quietly, trying to struggle to his feet.  
"Sit back down, you crazy man," Carlos's mother tutted, and Cecil eventually obeyed her.  
"Hi, I'm Ava," Carlos's sister introduced herself, stepping closer to Cecil.  
"Yeah, I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to meet you," Cecil said.  
"Same here," Ava said with a soft smile. "Nice tattoos," she stated after a while, looking at Cecil's arms.  
"Yes, they're very interesting," Carlos's mother agreed. Cecil smiled, blushing slightly at the attention.  
"Look at you, you're embarrassed," Carlos teased Cecil, nudging him softly.  
"Aw, leave him alone," Ava smiled, "I'm going to see dad, I assume he's in the kitchen, right?" she asked. When everyone else nodded, she wandered in the direction of the kitchen.  
******  
Later, after Carlos's parents had set the dining room table for the meal, they all filed into the dining room.  
"You really didn't have to go to all this trouble," Carlos said as they sat down.  
"Nonsense," Carlos's mother murmured, "nothing's too much for you two,"

"Thanks," Carlos laughed fondly, whilst Cecil smiled happily.

"So," Carlos's dad said eventually, "what did you say your job was, Cecil?"  
"I work at the radio station," Cecil replied.  
"That's such a cool job, dude," Ava smiled, sipping her drink between words.  
"Thanks," Cecil blushed, looking down at his lap awkwardly.  
"Cecil's show is the most popular one in Night Vale," Carlos explained, "that's where everyone gets the news from,"  
"Well, only the news the city council says is acceptable to broadcast," Cecil explained.  
"Oh yeah, because you're so great at sticking to rules, aren't you?" Carlos laughed. Cecil only rolled his eyes, whilst Carlos's family laughed softly.

"So, Carlos said you had a cat," Ava said eventually, and Cecil's eyes immediately lit up.  
"Yes, I love him," Cecil smiled.  
"Do you have a picture?" Carlos's mother asked, leaning across the table slightly. Cecil nodded, and pulled his phone out of his pocket, and began to scroll through his photos. Eventually, he found a good photo of Khoshekh, and held his phone out to show everybody.  
"It's cute and all," Ava said after a few seconds of silence, "but, why is floating?"  
"No one really knows," Cecil said, pushing his phone back into his pocket, "his kittens do it too,"  
"Weird things happen in Night Vale," Carlos explained to his slightly shocked family. They all nodded silently, looking slightly afraid to question to it.

"This dinner is great," Carlos said after a while.  
"Yes, thank you so much," Cecil smiled.   
"You like it, Cecil? It's a family recipe," Carlos's mother beamed.  
"Yes, it's amazing. And I love being able to eat wheat!" Cecil answered, picking up another piece of bread from the centre of the table.  
"Why can't you normally eat wheat?" Carlos's father asked.  
"Well, all wheat and wheat by-products are illegal in Night Vale," Cecil explained, "because it turns into snakes," he added after a second.  
"Yeah, I'm still investigating that," Carlos laughed.  
"That's a ridiculous law!" Carlos's father exclaimed, "wheat can't change into snakes anyway!"  
"In Night Vale, anything is possible," Carlos sighed, "We're not even allowed to use pens," the others laughed slightly in confusion. "Okay," Carlos sighed, "there is something we really need to talk about,"


	15. Announcement

"What is it?" Carlos's mother asked,leaning across the table towards Carlos.  
"Umm.. well," Carlos said, looking towards Cecil who gave him an encouraging smile and a nod, "well, the thing is you see... Cecil and I are engaged!" he cried eventually, a smile spreading across his face. Carlos's mother and sister both immediately let out excited squeals. His father simply nodded uncomfortably.  
"Yay!" Ava cried eventually, "you two are so cute," that made Carlos and Cecil both laugh. Ava smiled, and then turned to her parents. "It's great news, isn't it?"  
"Yes!" Carlos's mother beamed, "I'm so happy for you boys,"   
"And you, dad?" Carlos asked quietly.  
"If you're happy son, then that's fine," he said slowly.

"Ok, well, let's clear this up and then talk wedding plans!" Ava cheered, going to grab a plate.  
"No, I will tidy, you three go and sit in the living room," Carlos's mother said, "I'm sure Ava has way to many questions for you," Carlos laughed, and the three of them headed slowly into the living room.

"So, when's the wedding?" Ava asked as they settled into the chairs.  
"In a couple of months, there's no set date yet," Carlos explained.  
"Cool, can I come?" she asked.  
"Obviously!" Carlos cried, "why wouldn't you be allowed?"  
"Just checking," she smiled.  
"Actually," Cecil added, leaning forward, "we were wondering if you wanted to be a bridesmaid, along with a couple of my friends,"  
"Can you have a bridesmaid without a bride?" Ava asked.  
"Of course!" Cecil smiled.  
"Then definitely, yes!" Ava smiled.  
"Cool," Carlos smiled.  
"I'm assuming you'll be wanting mom and dad to walk down the aisle with you, Carlos?" Ava asked, to which Carlos nodded, "so, what about you, Cecil?"  
"I'm walking down the aisle with my sister, because she was the one who brought me up," Cecil explained, "and Old Woman Josie, because she's like a mother to me as well,"  
"Sounds good," Ava smiled, even though she had no idea who Josie was. "Ooh does that mean I get to visit Night Vale?"  
"It does indeed," Carlos replied. Ava smiled, clapping her hands excitedly.

A while later, after a few conversations about the wedding between the three of them, Carlos's parents wandered in.  
"So, let's talk wedding plans," Carlos's mother smiled.


	16. Dress Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava needs a dress for the wedding, so the group go shopping.

That night, Ava eventually drove back to her own house, promising to be there as early as possible in the morning. Carlos's mother took Cecil out to see the flowers growing in her garden (Cecil insisted he was a professional gardener).

"So, son," Carlos's dad said slowly as they stood together in the kitchen, "you're sure this is the guy for you?"  
"Yes, dad, really, I love him," Carlos answered. Carlos's dad sighed softly.  
"Ok, I guess I can get used to the idea of you marrying a man," Carlos's dad replied eventually, "But, I mean, isn't Cecil a little bit... strange,"  
"Sure, he's different from other people," Carlos said, "but that's why I love him,"  
"I just don't get it son, I don't understand why you chose him,"  
"Cecil makes me happy!" Carlos exclaimed, "and he's funny, and interesting, and unique, that's why I love him!"  
"Ok, if you love him, then that's all that matters," Carlos's dad said, and then he wandered away, humming uncomfortably.

A few moments later, Cecil and Carlos's mother came back into the house.  
"Carlos, your mother is a wonderful woman, and a wonderful gardener!" Cecil smiled.  
"Yes, she is," Carlos agreed, glancing out towards the dark garden, lit only by the moonlight. "Mum, we should really be going to bed now, it's been a long few days of driving," Carlos explained, "We'll see you in the morning,"  
"See you tomorrow," Carlos's mother smiled, hugging Carlos tightly. She moved over then, and hugged Cecil as well. "See you in the morning, Cecil," she called as the two men made their way up the stairs.

Cecil smiled as he sat down on the edge of Carlos's bed. The tarantula's tank was sitting on the little bedside table, next to a small night light.  
"I can just imagine a cute little younger Carlos sitting right here," Cecil laughed.  
"Yeah, if only I could go back and tell him the perfect future he had waiting for him," Carlos replied, sitting down next to Cecil and leaning against the other man. Cecil smiled, and leaned over to kiss Carlos on his forehead. Carlos moved his head slightly to touch their lips together, and pulled Cecil closer to him.  
"I really need to sleep," Cecil murmured eventually.  
"Yeah, me too," Carlos agreed, leaning his head into Cecil's chest.  
******  
Cecil woke up early the next morning, and sat up slowly, looking around the room he was in. He looked down at Carlos, and noticed that the other man was waking up as well.  
"Morning," Carlos mumbled sleepily, sitting up.  
"hi," Cecil smiled, kissing Carlos's cheek. "Reckon I can run and use the bathroom to do my makeup?" Cecil asked slowly.  
"Sure, it's just along the hall," Carlos explained.  
"Wait, can you cover the mirror for me first, I've only been using the toilet downstairs that doesn't have a mirror since we arrived," Cecil asked quietly.  
"Sure, I'll be back in a second," Carlos replied. 

As he made his way down the hall, he heard the front door open. A few seconds later, there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and then Ava appeared around the corner.  
"Hi!" she smiled, "mom and dad not awake yet?"  
"Nope," Carlos replied, opening the bathroom door and grabbing a towel. "You are really early," He pointed out as he pulled the towel over the mirror.  
"Yeah, and you... what are you doing?" she asked.  
"Cecil's scared of mirrors," Carlos explained.  
"Right..." she said slowly.

"Hey Ava," Cecil said quietly as he appeared behind them.  
"Hi Cecil," she answered, "hey, how do you do your makeup without a mirror?"  
"Camera," he answered, waving his phone in the air, before sliding into the bathroom and setting his phone up against the sink.

Ava and Carlos both watched in amusement as Cecil pulled out a ridiculous amount of makeup bags, and began to put it on.  
"So, can we talk wedding plans today?" Ava asked excitedly.  
"Yep, that's the plan," Carlos replied.  
"yay!" Ava smiled,   
*******  
A while later, Cecil and Carlos were ready, and Carlos's parents were making breakfast. Ava pulled Cecil and Carlos into the living room happily.  
"Ok, so, is there a colour scheme or anything?" she asked, pulling out a folder full with bits of paper, "I need to plan my outfit," she explained as Carlos shot her a confused glance.  
"Oh, we're doing purple and black," Cecil answered.  
"Nice," she said, "So, can I choose my own dress?"  
"Yep," Cecil told her, "in fact, we were wondering if you wanted to go shopping today,"  
"Yes! Shopping trip!" Ava cried, jumping to her feet. Carlos laughed as she sat back down, stamping her feet excitedly.  
"What's all the noise?" Carlos's mother said, wandering in with a tray of food.  
"We're going shopping for wedding clothes today!" Ava exclaimed.  
"Ooh, can I come?" Carlos's mom asked, passing a plate of pancakes to each of them.  
"Yes, we'd like you all to come," Carlos said, looking up at his dad who had just entered the room.  
"That sounds good," Carlos's dad smiled, sitting down carefully.  
*******  
That was how, a few hours later, they found themselves wandering around a huge shopping mall. They ended up leaving Carlos's parents shopping for clothes, whilst the other three headed to Ava's favourite dress store.  
"The woman here make's custom dresses, she's amazing," Ava explained as they pushed through the door. "Hey!" she cried, waving to a woman measuring a dress by the side.  
"Hi Ava, it's been a while since I saw you," the woman said, stepping forward to greet her.  
"Yeah, hi Margie," Ava smiled.  
"How can I help you?" Margie asked putting a dress back onto a rack.  
"I need a purple and black dress for a wedding," Ava told her..  
"Ooh, those are nice colours," Margie murmured, already digging through racks of dresses. "Who's wedding are you going to?" she asked, grabbing a tape measure.  
"My brother and his boyfriend's," Ava replied, waving a hand in Carlos and Cecil's direction.  
"Nice to meet you," Margie smiled.

She turned back to the rack, and pulled out a beautiful blue dress, with lots of thing layers.  
"I could make this for you, with the under layers in black and the top layers purple," Margie murmured, mostly to herself.  
"That could look nice," Ava nodded, "but, have you got the same style but slightly longer?"  
"Yeah I can definitely do that!" Margie said, holding the dress up to Ava, "yeah, that'll look good,"  
"What do you guys think?" Ava asked.  
"Sounds good," Carlos smiled stepping forward to look at the dress closely.  
"Yeah, it's going to look awesome," Cecil agreed, picking up a piece of the material and turning it over in his fingers absentmindedly. Ava smiled, and then she was being handed a piece of paper with different shades of purple on it.  
******  
Later, they all met back up for lunch.  
"it's going to be a beautiful wedding," Carlos's mother smiled, looking at a picture of Ava's dress on Carlos's phone.  
"Yes," Carlos's dad smiled gently, "it will be,"   
"Thanks," Carlos said, appreciating how much his dad was trying.  
"Hey, Carlos," Ava said suddenly, "When are you and Cecil leaving?"  
"Day after tomorrow," he sighed, "I know it hasn't been long, but we really have to get back to Night vale, Cecil isn't allowed much time off of work,"  
"I guess at least we'll be able to see you soon at the wedding," Ava sighed, finishing her food.  
"Yeah, you'll have to come for a while and have a look around Night Vale, it's an amazing place," Carlos smiled.  
"Sounds like fun, ooh can I meet your cat?" Ava cried.  
"Yes, definitely," Cecil smiled, "he'd love to see you I'm sure,"  
"That sounds like a lot of fun," Carlos's mother beamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten so into the details of the wedding, so I'm going to make this into a series, with the next one being about the wedding.


	17. Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their trip to Carlos's parents is over, it's time to head back. And Cecil's car conversations are strange to say the least.

The next few days passed by in huge rush of fun. They looked around all of Carlos's favourite places. They planned the wedding. And Carlos managed to stop Cecil from making Night vale sound too weird.

And, then, before they had even realised how quickly the time had gone, they were packing their things back into the car.  
"Come back soon!" Ava begged, wrapping her arms around Carlos and hugging him tightly.  
"Of course we will!" Carlos smiled, "and we'll see you at the wedding obviously,"  
"yes I can't wait!" Ava cried, "make sure to send us the date once it's sorted,"  
"Obviously," Carlos agreed. Ava stepped back, and then moved forward to hug Cecil.  
"Nice to meet you," she smiled.

As Carlos threw the last bags into the car, Cecil quickly text Earl and Steve to make sure that they were both still on schedule. And then, before they could even think about it, they were in the car and pulling out of the road.  
"Well," Cecil said eventually, breaking the sad silence, "that was a fun few days,"  
"Yeah," Carlos agreed with a small smile, "and let's make these next few days of travelling fun as well!" Cecil smiled, and nodded happily.

They sat for a while, listening to the radio playing quietly.  
"Do you remember Fey?" Cecil asked out of the blue.  
"The sentient computer?" Carlos questioned.  
"Yeah, that's the one," Cecil nodded.  
"What made you think of her?" Carlos asked.  
"I was just thinking that she'd enjoy a journey like this," Cecil sighed, "I feel so bad for her,"  
"Well, I mean... I could look at making a body or something for her," Carlos thought out loud  
"Is that possible?" Cecil asked hopefully.  
"Perhaps," Carlos mumbled, a look of concentration falling over his face.  
"I'll let you think about that for a bit," Cecil laughed softly.

Cecil's phone began to ring, and he pulled it out.  
"Hello?" Cecil called into the phone, "Oh hi Steve!" he trilled after a second, before clicking it onto speakerphone.  
"Hi Steve!" Carlos called.  
"Hello!" Replied Steve from the other side, "I'm just calling to ask what time you reckon you'll be here to pick me up tomorrow?"   
"Sometime later in the afternoon, we'll text you once we've picked up Earl," Carlos answered.  
"Cool," Steve replied, "how's your time with Carlos's parent's been?"  
"Really good," Cecil replied enthusiastically, "his sister is super awesome, she's gonna be so fun when she comes to the wedding!"  
"Sounds good," Steve answered, "Look, I've got to go, I'll see you tomorrow!"  
"Bye!" Carlos called.  
"See you, Steve," Cecil said, before hanging up.

"It's nice to hear from Steve," Carlos smiled. Cecil nodded happily, holding his phone up and taking a selfie. "What are you doing now?" Carlos sighed.  
"Snapchatting Earl," Cecil murmured as he sent the picture.  
"Oh yeah, how is he?" Carlos asked.  
"Good, his cooking thing went well, but he's looking forward to seeing us tomorrow," Cecil replied. "Look," he said suddenly, leaning over to show Carlos a selfie that Earl had just replied with. Carlos laughed, and then batted the phone away after a few seconds.  
"Cece, I can't see with that in my face," Carlos laughed. Cecil rolled his eyes, and pocketed his phone again.

"Pffff..." Cecil breathed out slowly, blowing his fringe up out of his eyes, "I miss my cat," he said slowly, drawing out each word.  
"We're like three days away from seeing him again," Carlos reassured him, "I can't believe he hasn't killed any interns yet,"  
"Oh he has," Cecil replied.  
"How many?" Carlos asked fearfully.  
"Umm.. last I heard it was seven, I am really going to have to start enrolling more the minute I get back," Cecil said.  
"How do you even get people willing to sign up for this?" Carlos exclaimed as he swerved the car around a corner.  
"It's good for college credit I guess," Cecil replied. Carlos laughed in amazement.  
"Alright," Carlos sighed, "Let's get to this hotel,"


	18. Chapter 18

That night, after having dinner at a pizza restaurant, they finally reached the hotel. Carlos flopped backwards onto the bed.  
"I'll be glad tomorrow when the other's can do some driving," Carlos yawned.  
"Woah, I can do some driving tomorrow morning if you want," Cecil offered.  
"No, your legs!" Carlos protested.  
"I drive in Night Vale," Cecil said.  
"Driving laws are bit different here," Carlos said, feeling slightly concerned at the thought of Cecil driving on normal roads "and anyway, you never drive long distances,"  
"So, just let me drive for like an hour," Cecil replied.  
"Alright," Carlos agreed eventually. Cecil smiled, and then sat down next to Carlos.  
"I'm tired," Cecil stated. "I'm gonna get this makeup off,"

Cecil wandered into the bathroom, propping his phone up and opening the camera. Carlos could hear him humming a song softly as he clattered around the bathroom. The scientist smiled, clicked the tv on, and leaned back against the pillows to watch something.

******  
The next morning, they got into the car early, so that they could pick up both Earl and Steve by that evening. Cecil sat down in the driver's seat, testing his legs cautiously. Carlos watched him fearfully as they drove out of the parking lot.  
"Cecil, you know the laws of the road, right?" Carlos asked.  
"Yeah, I do drive all the time!" he answered, turning road a corner so quickly that Carlos was thrown sideways.  
"Okay, but drivers are less.... aggressive here," Carlos told him.

"Yeah I know," Cecil smiled.

After half an hour of Cecil driving, Carlos was terrified. The car was swerving around all over the place, and the people in the cars all around them were shouting loudly out of their windows.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about Carlos," Cecil said eventually, "people are really aggressive on these roads,"  
"Yeah, can I drive now?" Carlos pleaded.  
"You've been driving so much recently though," Cecil protested, "and my legs feel fine,"  
"I know, I just like driving," Carlos said.  
"Fine, I get it," Cecil smiled, pulling over after a second. "I know you don't like me driving," he hopped out of the driver's seat, laughing fondly as he heard Carlos protesting slightly. "It's fine, just drive, silly!"  
"Alright," Carlos smiled, kissing Cecil on the forehead quickly as the two passed each other as they swapped seats. "Come on then! Let's get going again!"  
*******  
Finally, after a few hours of driving, they reached the place where Earl had been staying. Cecil pulled out his phone and sent Earl a quick text. A second later, he replied, saying he would be there in a second. Moments later, they both watched their friend walking towards them, dragging his bags with him. Cecil and Carlos climbed out of the car to help him pack his bags in.  
"Heya!" Cecil smiled, giving Earl a hug, "how was it?"  
"It was awesome!" Earl smiled, "but I really miss Roger," he added, scuffing one shoe on the floor.  
"A few more days and we'll be home!" Carlos told him.  
"Yeah, that's cool!" Earl decided, "how are your family?"  
"They're doing good," Carlos said as they all sat back in the car, "my mom loved Cecil,"  
"Of course she did!" Earl laughed, "everyone loves Cecil,"  
"I'm flattered," Cecil called from the passenger seat. Earl laughed at that.  
"Right, I reckon we can reach Steve in about two hours if the traffic's good," Carlos told them as he began to drive again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A game of truth and dare and weird news from Night Vale

"Steve!" Cecil practically screamed into his phone as they drove down a small road, "we're a few minutes away!" There came the sound faint of Steve replying from the other end, "Alright, see ya!" Cecil called, and then hung up.  
"Did you have to shout that loudly?" Carlos asked, peering at road signs as he tried to work out where he was going.  
"Probably not, but it's fun!" Cecil answered.  
"Earl, how much sugar has Cecil been eating whilst I haven't been looking?" Carlos asked.  
"Quite a lot," Earl sighed.  
"Great," Carlos laughed.

They pulled up outside of the house where Steve had been staying, and a few moments later they saw him make his way out f the door, shouting goodbye to someone inside.  
"Hey!" he called as he opened the back of the car to throw his bags in, "Thanks for deafening me over the phone, Cecil,"  
"No problem," Cecil laughed.  
"Hi Steve, how have you been?" Carlos called as Steve got into his seat.  
"Good thanks Carlos," Steve replied, "that woman was really helpful, I think I know more about the lines and arrows in the sky now,"  
"You mean the non-existent lines?" Cecil added.  
"Cecil!" Carlos warned him, "be nice," Cecil rolled his eyes.  
"Fine, I'm glad you're happy Steve," he said, with a slight hint of sarcasm.  
"I'm very sorry, Cecil's had too much sugar," Carlos apologised.  
"It's cool, don't worry about it," Steve smiled.  
"Come on then," Carlos laughed, "let's get back to Night Vale!"  
"Yay!" Earl cheered.

"So, Earl, what's the best recipe you learnt?" Cecil asked.  
"I learned a great cake recipe!" Earl smile

"Cool," Cecil smiled.  
"Yeah, the ingredients were weird though," Earl added, "and they were using wheat and wheat by-products! Can you believe that?"  
"It's great isn't it!" Cecil cried, "I've eaten so much wheat! I hadn't realised how much I missed it,"  
"Wow, I thought you'd stay well away from any wheat," Steve laughed, "I didn't know you were such a risk taker,"  
"It isn't a risk outside of Night Vale," Carlos reminded him.  
"True," Steve said.  
********  
The hotel they stayed at that night was a nice place. The room was pretty large, and the bathroom was extremely clean.  
"This place is awesome," Earl stated whilst he watched Carlos cover all of the mirrors in the room.  
"yeah it is," Carlos smiled, "hey, Cecil!" he called, "I've covered the mirrors!"  
"Thanks!" came the reply, and then Cecil appeared around the corner, "Just checking," he murmured as he surveyed the hidden mirror. Eentually he decided it was good, and headed out of the room. Earl and Carlos followed him.

"I have an idea," Steve stated as they entered into the main room.  
"Oh yeah?" Carlos said.  
"Let's play truth or dare!" Steve cried excitedly.  
"Yes!" Cecil exclaimed, sitting down on his bed and facing Steve who sat on the opposite bed.  
"Awesome idea," Earl added, sitting down next to Steve.  
"Um, alright," Carlos said slightly nervously.  
"Don't worry, we'll go easy on you," Steve smiled. Carlos nodded, and sat down next to Cecil. 

"Okay, I get to go first because I had the idea of playing," Steve said, and the others nodded in agreement, "okay, I choose Cecil. Cecil, truth or dare?"  
"Truth!" Cecil decided.  
"Who was your first crush?" Steve said, grinning wickedly.  
"Steve you know this!" Cecil cried, already blushing.  
"Yeah, but does Carlos?" Steve laughed, turning to Carlos, who shook his head with an apologetic glance towards Cecil.  
"Come on Cece, I won't judge you," Carlos said.  
"Yeah, you won't judge me, but it'll be awkward," Cecil mumbled.  
"Come on!" Carlos persuaded him, "I want to know!"  
"Fine, it was Earl!" Cecil declared suddenly. Steve immediately let out a roar of laughter and fell backwards onto the bed.  
"Oh yeah?" Carlos said with a laugh. Earl only squirmed uncomfortably. "Did you know that, Earl?" Carlos asked.  
"I should hope he did," Steve said, "seeing as those two dated when we were younger,"  
"What?" Carlos cried, "How have I never been told this before?"  
"We thought it might make things weird," Earl sighed, "so we agreed not to tell you,"  
"It's fine you guys," Carlos smiled, "really, I don't mind. But, why did you break up?"  
"It was just a bit weird," Cecil said, "and we decided to end it on a good note so that we could stay best friends,"  
"Aww, that's nice," Carlos smiled, wrapping one arm around Cecil's waist.  
"You don't find it awkward?" Earl checked.  
"Of course not," Carlos smiled.  
"Good," Cecil said, beaming.  
"Right, next person!" Steve declared.

"Okay, Carlos," Cecil started, "truth or dare?"  
"Dare," Carlos said after a while of thought.  
"I dare you to let me do your makeup!" Cecil smiled.  
"Cece, we've done that before," Carlos said, and then blushed immediately.  
"Yeah, but no one else ever got the chance to see it," Cecil laughed.  
"Fine," Carlos sighed.

The game of truth or dare quickly turned into a game of making each other look ridiculous.  
"This is so stupid," Steve sighed.  
"Shut up," laughed Carlos, who was attempting to braid Steve's hair (which was slightly to short for that)  
"You look great, Steve," Earl laughed sarcastically.  
"At least I'm not wearing so much makeup that I look like a panda!" Steve shot back.  
"Oi, I did a wonderful job of Earl's makeup!" Carlos protested.  
"Carlos, honey, I love you, but you did an awful job," Cecil informed him.  
"Wow, I've just been betrayed by my own future husband," Carlos laughed. Cecil began to laugh, but stopped suddenly as his third eye flew open and began to look around desperately.

"Hang on a minute," Cecil said, holding one hand up to show he needed them to be quiet. They all watched as he stared directly at the wall, obviously focusing on whatever his third eye was seeing. "No no no!" Cecil screamed suddenly, "Carlos get me my phone!" Carlos scrambled for Cecil's phone and practically threw it in Cecil's direction. Cecil grabbed it and frantically dialled a number.  
"What's happening?" Earl whispered, but no one answered.  
"Dana!" Cecil screamed into the phone, "what's going on with the miniature city?" As they heard that, the other three stared at each other in shock, "don't let anyone go down there!" Cecil yelled, "you know what they did to Carlos! Send interns if you have too... yeah, okay...what?" Cecil screamed the last part, "No! No! Are you mad? Don't do this Dana..." Cecil put the phone down as Dana hung up.  
"Cece," Carlos said carefully, putting one hand on Cecil's shoulder carefully.  
"She said that they needed someone to report on everything to help keep citizens safe while they attempt to battle the miniature city. So Kevin's doing the radio show," Cecil said. Silence fell in the room.

"They can't," Earl said eventually, "he's...bad," he said weakly.  
"Have you lost your job?" Steve asked.  
"No, no," Cecil reassured him, "it's just until I get back," Cecil sighed, and tears welled up in his eyes, "they're practically inviting strex back,"  
"It'll be okay," Carlos said eventually, "We can sort this out, I think I remember Kevin's number,"  
"Why the hell have you got Kevin's number?" Steve shouted, voicing everyone's thoughts.  
"He forced me to take it when we were stuck in the desert otherworld," Carlos said sadly, "it never meant anything, Cece, I promise,"  
"Just call him," Cecil said, his voice flat and empty. Carlos nodded sadly, and dialled the number, putting it on speakerphone.

"Carlos!" cried a voice. It was clearly Kevin, and yet he sounded less insane than the last time Cecil had heard him. "Can you believe it? Strex is finished!"  
"What?" Carlos said, shocked.  
"Yep, everyone that was left after the rebellion basically killed each other," he said, "and then I was free Carlos, free!"  
"What do you mean free?" Cecil demanded.  
"Oh, hi Cecil! I mean, I realise now. I did awful things, and... Oh smiling god I wish I hadn't done them," his voice cracked, and he began to sob, "I'm so sorry Cecil, I'm so sorry,"  
"Why are you taking over the radio then if your not planning evil things?" Steve questioned.  
"I want to try and make things right. I got into Night Vale a couple of days ago when the door finally opened, and when people realised I'd changed, they started to accept me. Now Night Vale needs help, so I'm just trying to help!" Kevin replied.  
"God," Cecil said, and the others looked at him in surprise, "we'll see you soon, Kevin. I'm glad you've realised how wrong you were," and then he hung up.

"Cecil, how can we trust that guy?" Earl asked. But Cecil simply gave him a confident smile.  
"I can see," Cecil said, tapping his third eye. "Desert Bluffs is free, and Kevin has changed, I can see, I can see!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the last! There will be a sequel to this though, and I'm super excited to write that!!!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the road trip, the start of the next adventure

A few days later

Having dropped Steve and Earl off at their houses, and left their bags in their house, Carlos and Cecil headed to the radio station. As they paced through the corridors, a voice could be heard echoing through the rooms.  
"So, listeners, this is your hourly update: the citizens of the miniature city have finally retreated, and then entrance will soon be blocked up once again. You are free to leave your houses and walk safely on these beautiful streets once again!" Kevin spoke. Cecil grabbed Carlos's hand, needing him for support, and stepped into the studio.

"Now, we will go shortly to the weather, but first.." Kevin trailed off as he noticed the two, "Oh, listeners we have two visitors!" Kevin said into the microphone, a smile spreading across his face, "how wonderful! Cecil and Carlos! I think, perhaps, I need to speak to these two, so... and now, the weather" as a tune began to play, Kevin witched off his microphone and turned to face them. "Please, I promise, I'm not the same," he said, looking ready to beg for his life.  
"I know," Cecil said gently, stepping closer to Kevin, "my third eye shows me only the truth, and I can see that you're not lying,"  
"Really?" Kevin asked, his black eyes appearing to light up with happiness.  
"Yes, welcome to Night Vale Kevin,"

 

So, their road trip was over. And yet, in a few months, the wedding would happen. And both of them knew that their lives were only about to get more crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to anyone who's read this entire thing! There is a sequel, so I hope you guys will read that if you want to see the wedding and more of Carlos's family (also more Kevin)!


End file.
